Reports: Big East adds Memphis
February 8th, 2012 | After Action Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
During the Jan. 24 teleconference that welcomed Navy football into the Big East starting in 2015, conference commissioner John Marinatto was pretty clear: “I’m not done with regard to our expansion efforts.”
Less than a month later, he’s apparently made good. Multiple reports, including one from USA Today, have Memphis joining the conference in all sports as of 2013. If the rest of the conferences’ arrivals and departures go off as scheduled, Navy will enter a 12-team football league, likely split into two to-be-determined divisions, in 2015.
Memphis leaves Conference USA to join the Big East, creating a reunion of sorts with six other former C-USA football programs — Central Florida, South Florida, Southern Methodist, Houston, Louisville and Cincinnati. While Navy football’s team has never played in a conference, Army tried it a few years ago — in C-USA. It didn’t go great.
While the Big East sorts itself out, another conference has made even larger headlines, with the Big Ten reportedly discussing a playoff plan that would include semifinal games on campus. How would this affect the Bowl Championship Series by 2015? Would the Big East’s status as automatic BCS qualifier — a selling point for any conference-shopping school — mean anything if the postseason system suffered major upheaval? Would there be a BCS? Will USC be coming to Annapolis to open the 2015 NCAA Football Playoffs, sponsored by [insert highest bidder here]?
It’s about as likely as Navy dumping Air Force from its football schedule. But you never know.
Titans owner hosting GIs at Super Bowl
February 5th, 2012 | After Action Army Football | Posted by Sean Smyth
Titans head coach Mike Munchak signs autographs for Fort Campbell soldiers after a training camp practice in Nashville on Aug. 18. The Titans invited 250 soldiers to come and watch practice. (Mark Humphrey / The Associated Press)
Here’s a classy move: Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams is recognizing soldiers at Fort Campbell, Ky., and he’s hosting some of them at today’s Super Bowl.
Thirty-three Campbell GIs took off early today and made the 300-mile trip to Indy.
Jeff George to QB in game benefiting wounded warriors group
January 26th, 2012 | After Action Football nfl | Posted by Andy Charest
Gunslingin’ quarterback Jeff George is making a comeback — again.
No, not with the Colts, Raiders or Redskins — but instead on a field where his talents can do the most good.
George, an Indianapolis native, is set to play in a Feb. 1 flag football game pitting military amputees against former NFL players. The game will benefit Wounded Warrior Amputees (if you’re in the Indy area and want to check it out, tickets are $20 and can be purchased here).
George has tight military connections, with his brother-in-law and father-in-law both Army officers.
The quarterback played for several NFL teams over his 14-year career, and was always highly touted for his deep-passing skill. Run-ins with coaches — including a famous flare-up with Atlanta Falcons coach June Jones in 1996 — clashed with his genuine talent, though, and George was labeled an enigma during the last half of his time in the league.
Still, you can’t argue with throws like this.
And on Feb. 1, with flag football not exactly a run-first game, fans can expect some aerial fireworks courtesy of George’s golden arm.
Here’s an old ESPN piece with some highlights of George’s stint with his hometown Indianapolis Colts.
Reports: Navy football to Big East in 2015
January 23rd, 2012 | After Action Air Force Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Well, we knew it was coming eventually. But if reports from two major sports news outlets are accurate, the Naval Academy will make it official soon, joining the Big East as a football-only member in 2015.
Both CBSSports.com and ESPN.com are reporting an announcement is imminent; CBS says it’ll come Tuesday. The move would give the Big East 11 football members for the 2015 season and be the latest in a series of shakeups: By the time Navy joins up, Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia will be out and Boise State, Houston, Southern Methodist, Central Florida and San Diego State will be in.
Yes, San Diego State. In the Big East. It’s best not to think about it too hard.
The conference likely isn’t settled in yet, either. If a 12th football school signed on, the Big East would reach the minimum required to hold a conference title game, giving it another revenue stream and a cherry to put on top of a yet-to-be-negotiated TV deal. It’s entirely too early to speculate on division alignments, but Navy could fit in a “Big East East” along with current Big East members Connecticut, Rutgers, South Florida, Cincinnati and Louisville. That would leave a “Big East West” with the five new, non-Navy members and another late addition.
Air Force said no in December when Big East expansion talks heated up, opting to remain with the Mountain West Conference. But things have changed with the MWC since then — that conference has been in merger talks with Conference USA that could lead to a 16-team megaconference. And joining a conference with Navy would make that academy rivalry a league matchup, freeing the Falcons to schedule a nonconference opponent of their choosing instead of filling up that nonleague spot with the Mids.
Confused yet? Join the club. But once official word comes down from Annapolis, expect some of the cloudy conference picture to get a little clearer.
Joe Paterno: 1926-2012
January 22nd, 2012 | After Action Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Sean Smyth
You can’t deny Joe Paterno’s impact on college football, on sports. Paterno, who died Sunday at age 85 after a brief battle with lung cancer, prided himself on success with honor and dignity — hallmarks our armed forces strive for daily.
Of course the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal overshadowed much of this. But that shouldn’t wipe out the totality of the pre-November 2011 slate: his service to our country (briefly in the Army around the end of World War II), the thousands of men who graduated and later made great impacts on the sports world and other segments of society, the affection and dedication he showed to Penn State.
Paterno wasn’t a saint; he’d come off as dismissive if your question didn’t meet his liking. “That’s a dumb question” or “that’s a stupid question” were words you’d hear in his news conferences if you listened or watched frequently enough. His role in the Sandusky case, much debated, fell short of what many expected from this larger-than-life figure.
His teams went 17-3 against the service academies, with Air Force (0-2), Army (1-9) and Navy (2-8) occasional foils for the Lions, mostly in the early years. Penn State and Navy will renew their series this fall in State College after a 38-year hiatus.
With the Sandusky trial looming, the Paterno story isn’t complete. Much remains to be written, but one thing stands out today: Joe Paterno made a mark on many, for better or for worse.
Hoops rivalry doubleheader this Saturday
January 12th, 2012 | After Action Army Basketball Navy | Posted by Andy Charest
What: Army vs. Navy men’s and women’s basketball
When: Sat., Jan. 14; women’s game at noon; men’s game at 2:30
Where: Alumni Hall, Annapolis, Md.
TV: CBS Sports Network
The storied Army vs. Navy rivalry hits the hardwood Saturday in two nationally televised games at the Naval Academy’s Alumni Hall.
While the basketball incarnation may lack the luster of the gridiron version, both the men’s and women’s teams are just a couple games into the meat of their Patriot League schedule, and the rivalry should prove a springboard for the rest of the season.
The schools’ women’s teams will play at noon, followed by the men’s teams at 2:30.
Forward Ella Ellis grabs a rebound in a game earlier this season against The Citadel. Ellis, a junior, is Army's top scorer. (Associated Press photo)
Men’s matchup
Last meeting: Navy 75, Army 58
Army: Junior forward Ella Ellis leads the Black Knights with close to 18 points and 5 rebounds a game. The team is banking on success from beyond the arc to stay competitive; roughly a third of Army’s scoring comes from 3-point range. Army has been averaging 14 assists a game, No. 1 in the Patriot League. The Black Knights are 0-2 in the Patriot League, losing to Bucknell and Lafayette.
Navy: The Mids’ disappointing 3-13 start has coincided with a scoring dropoff from senior guard Jordan Sugars. Sugars is averaging 11 points a game, five less than his average in 2010-11. But the Mids’ real Achilles’ heel is their inability to finish games strong: the team is 2-9 in games decided by single digits, and 0-4 in games decided by four points or less. Navy is 0-2 in the Patriot League, losing to Lafayette and Holy Cross.
Sophomore forward Jade Geif helps lead a Navy women's squad that won the Patriot League championship last year. (Patriot League photo)
Women’s matchup
Last meeting: Army 57, Navy 46
Army: Sophomore guard/forward Jen Hazlett and junior guard Anna Simmers, Army’s two leading scorers, scored 19 and 27 respectively during Army’s win over Bucknell in its Patriot League opener. Army also won its next game, beating Lafayette 44-43 on a layup by senior Meagan Doucette with six seconds left. The two wins kept Army atop the league standings, and Simmers was named the Patriot League player of the week.
Navy: The Mids have opened their Patriot League schedule 1-1, edging Lafayette 60-55, then losing to Holy Cross, 55-38. The team has a young nucleus led by sophomore forwards Audrey Bauer (11.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Jade Geif (10.4 ppg, 8 rpg), and is tops in the Patriot League in rebounding, 3-point percentage and scoring defense.
Kansas State QB ties Dobbs’ mark for rushing touchdowns
January 7th, 2012 | After Action Football Navy | Posted by Sean Smyth
Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein, top, tied former Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs’ record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in one season. (The Associated Press photos)
Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein got a share of a record Friday night, but he didn’t get what he really wanted– a victory.
Klein scored his 27th rushing touchdown of the season for the 11th-ranked Wildcats, who fell 29-16 to No. 7 Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium, outside Dallas. That touchdown tied him with former Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs, who set the mark for most touchdowns by a quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision two years ago.
Klein didn’t want the focus on his record. “It’s overshadowed by our ability as a group. We came up short,” he said after the game.
Dobbs’ 2009 season was magical: He ran for 1,204 yards and passed for 1,031. Navy finished 10-4 and in the top 25 after an impressive victory over Missouri in the Texas Bowl.
The scary part: Klein has another year of eligibility left. And with this being a quarterback-laden draft, you’d assume he’s going back to Manhattan, Kan.
Military Bowl: Toledo 14, Air Force 0
December 28th, 2011 | After Action | Posted by Sean Smyth
Adonis Thomas has extended Toledo’s lead, taking advantage of a fumble on the kickoff following Toledo’s first touchdown.
His 41-yard touchdown run on the first play of the series put him at more than 1,000 yards for the season.
Military Bowl basics
December 27th, 2011 | After Action Air Force Football | Posted by Kevin Lilley
It’s your last chance to catch service academy football until September. Whether you’re watching from your couch, from your duty station or from the nosebleed section, here’s what you need to know about tomorrow’s Military Bowl.
Toledo (8-4, 7-1 Mid-American Conference) vs. Air Force (7-5, 3-4 Mountain West Conference), Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Where else: ESPN (Pam Ward, Dan Hawkins). Also available online at ESPN3.com.
A word from our sponsor: The game is presented by Northrop Grumman. A portion of the game’s proceeds benefits the USO; last year, that portion exceeded $100,000, according to the game’s website.
How to turn vouchers into tickets: If you’re redeeming the ticket vouchers handed out at D.C.-area USO branches, you’ll need to go to Gate F, according to the USO of Metropolitan Washington’s Ticketline website (for a handy, nicely labeled stadium overhead map, click here). The redemption office is open Tuesday until 4 p.m. and on game day beginning at 10 a.m.
Dress code: Cold-weather gear. The forecast calls for a wind chill right around freezing at kickoff, with sunset about 20 minutes later and temperatures falling steadily. The good news: No rain expected.
Who wants to tailgate in 17-mile-an-hour winds? Good question, but bowl organizers have an answer — a $25, all-you-can-eat pregame party inside the nearby D.C. Armory. Tickets are available here.
Post-tailgate events (i.e., the game): Check here for a brief preview. Air Force fans seeking enemy intel can read the Toledo Blade’s game coverage here.
Any spirit spots?: Not exactly. But these airmen sent a long-distance hello from Kosovo.
Gambling is illegal in most states: Toledo is a 3-point favorite.
Coverage: Head to After Action for your liveblogging needs, and follow us on Twitter for in-game updates.
Heisman winner Robert Griffin III credits Army parents with his success
December 20th, 2011 | After Action | Posted by Sara Davidson
Did you know 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III is an Army brat? The Baylor QB credits his success to his retired Army parents.
“It comes from my parents. Obviously, growing up in a military family, one thing that’s going to be paramount is discipline. You say you’re going to do something,
you do it. And my parents make sure I stick to that,” Griffin said. “My parents believed in me. That’s why I’m here today.”
Read Military Times staff writer Jon Anderson’s story about Griffin here.
(And then get sappy and go watch old episodes of “Friday Night Lights.” We did … )
